Ready For A Ribbon Nov 30, 2008
Never-before-released live and studio performances by some of jazz's greatest artists: Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley, Lionel Hampton and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Naxos of America, $119. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
New DVDs include 'R.L. Stine's Mostly Ghostly' Oct 29, 2008
This is a smashing set of DVDs featuring never-released live and studio performances by seven singular artists: Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley, Lionel Hampton and Rahsaan Roland Kirk (a bonus disc for boxed-set buyers has other rare tracks by Rollins, Simone and Kirk). Taped for television in cities across Europe, these club and concert performances capture the musicians at peak moments in their careers. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
New on DVD: Have a few laughs with 'Sarah Marshall' Oct 3, 2008
Also: Lionel Hampton, Cannonball Adderley and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Due Tuesday: A Touch of Evil set; Richard Jenkins' wonderful turn in The Visitor; Disney's Sleeping Beauty repolished, and on Blu-Ray. (USA Today -- Life)
Rahsaan Patterson doesn't do labels Jul 15, 2008
Patterson, who is named for the avant-garde jazz artist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, says he now has the freedom to be true to himself, his talent and his fans. Musical creation, he added, is the only thing that comes naturally to him. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Drummer's birthday show displays jazz guitarist's gifts Jan 30, 2008
Drummer Rakalam Bob Moses has played with Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Pat Metheny, among many others, and his late-'60s band, Free Spirits, was among the pioneers of jazz/rock fusion. He also teaches at New England Conservatory. (Boston Globe)
Producer Joel Dorn dies at 65 Dec 19, 2007
A Philadelphia disc jockey who first worked for Atlantic in 1963, he joined Atlantic full-time in May 1967 producing jazz artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Yusef Lateef and Herbie Mann. Dorn's first production for Atlantic was Hubert Laws' "The Laws of Jazz" in 1963. (Variety)
Producer helped shape Atlantic Records' sound Dec 19, 2007
Dorn's use of pop production techniques brought new attention to jazz artists, including drummer Max Roach, flutist Herbie Mann, pianist Les McCann, saxophonist Eddie Harris, vibraphonist Gary Burton and saxophonists Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Yusef Lateef. In the pop field, he produced singer Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which was named record of the year for 1972. (Los Angeles Times)
Grammy-winning jazz producer Joel Dorn dies at 65 Dec 18, 2007
Working alongside the label's jazz chief, Nesuhi Ertegun, he brought a pop sensibility to works by musicians such as Roach, Herbie Mann, Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Mose Allison and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Dorn once said his two biggest influences were songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and producer Phil Spector. (Xinhuanet, China)
'Force of energy' from Time Inc. to address press club Nov 16, 2007
" He also saw over the edge of the horizon. Allen Joyce, a fellow New Era employee, said Huey sent his r;sum; to The Christian Science Monitor within a few months of arriving at the weekly. Perhaps that farsightedness was prefigured by his musical tastes as a teen. While his friends were listening to Freddie and the Dreamers, he went further afield. "He was a fan of obscure stuff: Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Thelonious Monk," said North Fulton peer Bryan Cumming, now a professional musician in... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Living)
Mocean Worker: Artist looks to change the face of jazz Nov 9, 2007
With guest performances by musicians including trumpeters Herb Alpert and Steven Bernstein, bassist/clarinetist Marcus Miller, cellist Erik Friedlander, and vocalists Morley and Alana Da Fonseca, as well as the sampled flute of the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dorn produced 13 original pieces that combine jagged, in-your-face break-beat complexity with the melodic directness of jump blues and classic cartoon music. "Jazz is usually so hated by what I refer to as the 'normal people,' because it's so... (San Francisco Chronicle)
50 Years Of Jazz Sep 16, 2007
" The crowd was racially mixed from the start and grew even more diverse over the years. But the music at Monterey didn't reflect the changes sweeping the jazz world in the mid-1960s and '70s. The nonprofit festival, which has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into jazz education, became so successful that it sold out before the lineup was announced. The crowd came to party, whoever was playing. Daring artists such as Cecil Taylor and Rahsaan Roland Kirk were largely missing, and Lyons... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Bassist Art Davis dies Aug 5, 2007
He played with a long and varied list of artists: Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, John Denver, the trio Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan. Davis began studying piano at age 5 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Art Davis, 73; known for mastery of the bass, also was a psychologist Aug 4, 2007
He played with a long and varied list of artists: Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, John Denver, the trio Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan. Pianist Ahmad Jamal once dubbed Davis the "forgotten genius" because the outspoken bassist had been blacklisted for many years. (Los Angeles Times)
Captain Al celebrates 11 soulful years May 25, 2007
As the saxophone groove of Rahsaan Roland Kirk glides into the harmonies of the Temptations, the radio seems to be taking a trip back in time. Freddie Jackson comes up next, crooning a romantic ballad, followed by more soul, smooth jazz, and rhythm and blues. (Boston Globe -- Living)
Comprehensive event listings May 20, 2007
Two additional stages feature Luciana Souza, Ron Carter/Russell Malone/Mulgrew Miller, Jon Faddis, music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring Steve Turre and friends, Ben Allison Quartet, Portrait of Bill Evans with Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson & Billy Hart, Music of Getz and Jobim featuring Harry Allen and Trio La Paz, Donald Harrison Quintet. Providence Performing Arts Center 220 Weybosset St., Providence. (Boston Globe)
Guide: Summer Jazz Season May 17, 2007
Also, an homage to Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring Steve Turre with Vincent Herring and Billy Harper; Jon Faddis's Teranga, Ben Allison Quartet and a tribute to the legendary Bill Evans featuring the superb Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias with Marc Johnson and Billy Hart. Also on tap Aug. 12: an homage to Stan Getz and bossa nova baron, Antonio Carlos Jobim, featuring Harry Allen with Trio da Paz, Donald Harrison Quintet, plus the glories of bebop revisited and revised by the Dizzy Gillespie... (CTNow.com)
Is that a human voice, or is it a guitar? May 11, 2007
" The CD also acknowledges a wide range of influences, including avant-garde jazz artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, acoustic slide blues, Pakistani Qawwali music and Jamaican reggae. It's also obvious on Songlines that Mr. Trucks has been listening to Indian music. He took some courses from sarod master Ali Akbar Khan, sometimes called "The Indian Johann Sebastian Bach," at Khan's College of Music in San Rafael, Calif. "I've listened to a lot of his recordings but I can't say I actually... (Hopewell Valley News, NJ)
Andrew Hill, 75; innovative jazz pianist, composer Apr 22, 2007
Associations and recordings with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Walt Dickerson, Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley followed, when Hill was in his 20s. Hill's recordings under his own name began in 1963 for Blue Note: "Black Fire," "Smokestack," "Point of Departure" and others. (Los Angeles Times)
Jacobs: Wynton Marsalis Review Apr 8, 2007
It's not adventurous like the aforementioned Rahsaan Roland Kirk disc, but it's an enjoyable blend of styles and tones. Rhythmically, it goes from foot tapping to danceable to contemplative. (Zmag.org)
Musical Master: Author, musician, teacher ... John Kruth does it all and he's bringing it here Apr 5, 2007
After delving into the lives of jazz saxophone legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the self-destructive songwriting genius of Van Zandt, he's done with that kind of research and writing for a while. He is, however, considering a couple other writing projects - one of which focuses more on the sociology surrounding artists, looking at how their writing is inspired by the time in which they live. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Podcast: Your top concerts Jan 20, 2007
I've experienced many moments of musical sublimity from John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Ralph Stanley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bill Monroe, Ornette Coleman, and Merle Haggard. But the big one, the one I've probably taken too long to get to, was a piece of history: James Brown, Boston Garden, April 5, 1968. (USA Today -- Life)
